Gerard Keane's stable star Crystal Black (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}) is set to return in Saturday's Tote Alleged Stakes at the Curragh prior to a potential run in the G1 Tattersalls Gold Cup on May 25.
The seven-year-old, who is unbeaten in his last five starts, including the Duke of Edinburgh Stakes at Royal Ascot and the G3 Ballyroan Stakes in partnership with the trainer's champion jockey son Colin, is also entered in the Coolmore Stud City Of Troy Irish EBF Mooresbridge Stakes on May 5.
“We are hoping to go to the two of them,” said Keane. “I think there is a good three weeks between them. Then the main plan, if he runs well enough in either of them, he would go for the Tattersalls Gold Cup.”
A trip to the Melbourne Cup had been mooted last year for the gelding before a setback cut short his season, but that now seems unlikely.
“The ground would be very fast down there and that wouldn't really suit him,” said Keane. “He got away with it last year [at Ascot], but he's a massive big horse and you wouldn't want to keep running him on it.
“I don't know about Australia, but we will travel somewhere with him. There's plenty of other options, obviously, unless he gets sold.”
He added, “Obviously, it is a different kettle of fish this year with the company you are going to have to keep. If he isn't good enough, he is a Group 3 horse anyway and he would pick up plenty of prize-money, you'd imagine.”
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